Manifest description: optional app-store text

Limited availabilityNot supported in Firefox (Desktop), Firefox (Android), Safari (macOS), Safari (iOS)W3C draft

In one line: per MDN, the description manifest member “is used to explain the core features or functionality of your web application,” its value “is used in app stores and other distribution platforms to help users understand what your app does,” and it also “provides an accessible description of your installed app.”

Where it is supported

Per MDN’s browser-compat-data, Chrome has supported description since version 88. Firefox and Safari do not implement the member at all, and on Firefox for Android specifically the property parses without error but has no effect.

How to use it

{
  "name": "My App",
  "description": "Track your habits and build streaks, even offline."
}

How to detect it at runtime

MDN states that description “is supplementary metadata that does not affect the app’s runtime behavior or how browsers present the app.” Neither MDN nor its compat data describes a way for a script to query whether the current browser acts on this member — reading the page’s own manifest only confirms what the site declared, not whether the browser or an app store will surface it:

async function manifestDeclaresDescription() {
  if (typeof document === 'undefined') {
    // Fallback: no manifest link element available in this context.
    return false;
  }
  const link = document.querySelector('link[rel="manifest"]');
  if (!link) return false;
  const manifest = await fetch(link.href).then((r) => r.json());
  return typeof manifest.description === 'string' && manifest.description.length > 0;
}

Treat this only as a deployment check (did the manifest ship a non-empty description?), not as a support check — it cannot tell you whether the browser or an app store will do anything with the text.

Practical checklist

• Per MDN’s browser-compat-data, Firefox does not support description at all — don’t rely on it being surfaced there.
• MDN’s data notes that on Firefox for Android specifically, the property parses without error but has no effect, so validation alone won’t reveal that it is being ignored.
• Safari does not implement description either, per the same browser-compat-data — see the table above for the full per-browser picture.
• MDN notes description is optional and that “app stores may not use this text when presenting your app,” so don’t treat it as your only channel for app-store copy you control.

Where to go next

• Web App Manifest: related_applications / prefer_related_applications support
• Manifest scope: your PWA’s installation boundary

Specifications

Specification	Status
Web App Manifest: description	W3C draft

• Legend
• Yes
• Partial
• Flag
• No
• Unknown

Browser / Platform	Support	Versions	Confidence	Source	Notes
Chrome (Desktop)	Yes	88	high	source	—
Chrome (Android)	Yes	88	high	source	1
Edge (Desktop)	Yes	88	high	source	2
Firefox (Desktop)	No	—	high	source	3
Firefox (Android)	No	—	high	source	4
Safari (macOS)	No	—	high	source	5
Safari (iOS)	No	—	high	source	67
Samsung Internet	Yes	15.0	high	source	8
WebView (Android)	Yes	88	high	source	9

1. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome.
2. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome.
3. No Firefox support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
4. The property parses, but has no effect.
5. No Safari support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
6. No Safari on iOS support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
7. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Safari.
8. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.
9. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.

Source data: /compatibility/manifest-description.json · Global usage: 72 % (StatCounter 2026-05)

Source: spec · MDN · Last verified 2026-10-03 · Confidence: high (computed from sources)